Do you have a rosy outlook and see the glass as half-full rather than half-empty? If so, your good attitude may have even more benefits than you think.
A growing number of scientific studies suggest optimistic people tend to live longer and have better physical and mental health than pessimistic people. The idea of optimism leading to better health has been studied. Researchers reviewed the results of over 80 studies to look for common findings. They found optimism had a remarkable impact on physical health. The study examined overall longevity, survival from a disease, heart health, immunity, cancer outcomes, pregnancy outcomes, pain tolerance, and other health topics. It seemed that those who had a more optimistic outlook did better and had better results than those who were pessimistic.
The message is that having a positive attitude can boost your physical health, no matter what might be ailing you. The researchers also noted that optimism seemed to have consistent benefits for people regardless of demographic factors such as income level or overall health status.
“When you say, ‘I can’t do that,’ you’re expressing yourself incorrectly. You should say, ‘I couldn’t do that before.'”
Dr. Norman Doidge, M.D. in his book, The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science, states that our brains are not rigidly mapped out as scientists once thought. Instead, by thinking differently, our brain has the incredible capacity to form new neural pathways (source).
If you’re prone to negative and doomsday thinking why not switch it around and practice for one week thinking optimistic thoughts. Think about how good things have been and how well things you are working on will turn out. All you got to lose by trying a new way of thinking is setting aside negative thinking and a depressing attitude. C’mon, you can do it.
“In the English language, there are over 400 words that describe different kinds of emotion. Many of them may be synonyms for one another, but it just goes to show how important feelings are to people.” (Source}
Which emotional words do you frequently use? How do these words affect you? Is it time to change the emotional worlds you use?
What if I wake up filled with energy, joy, and zest for life? Wow, would that make a difference in how you approached life. There’d be a skip in your step, a coffee in your hand, and smile on your face. You’d face the day believing everything was going to work out and good things were coming your way. It seems to me that is a good way to wake up. How about starting your day with some positive self talk? When you open your eyes in the morning why not say, “It’s going to be a great day. Day, are you ready for me? I’m going to make it a great one.”
What if tomorrow promised to be better than today? How would you feel? Me? I’d be so excited, I’d be singing off key at the top of my voice and believing I sounded like Sinatra. What if I act like tomorrow was going to be better than today and stepped out in faith that it was about to happen? Everything changes. My attitude scale tips toward the positive. I bring more energy to my work. And, my mood is infectious to those around me.
Make today one of those days where everywhere you look or travel, you’ll do it with a beaming smile on your face, a song on your lips, and sparkle in your eyes. You can feel it, today is going to be your day.
When I was in school, teachers used a chalk board. In elementary school I had the job of erasing and washing the chalk boards after school (It was a punishment for for my talkative behavior – LOL). I didn’t mind the job. Today we use our technology to quickly delete our work on our computers or tablets. We can do the same things with minor incidents that interrupt our days. If we erase or delete them from our active mind, we give ourselves the freedom to move on. When we fail to erase or delete minor irritations we allow them to fester and affect our attitude and moods. I always felt a sense of pride when the chalk boards were clean and Ms. Borchers would say, ‘Thank you, Ray.’
““We sit together, the mountain and me, until only the mountain remains (Li Po).” The Chinese poet Li Po offers us a great truth. The Earth will continue to take its trip around the sun after we have died. If we reflect on our lives we have an opportunity to examine how we are living and the memories we’ll leave to those most close to us. We can ask ourselves, “What will my life say about me?” Is the answer we find what we want our life to say? If we want it to say something different we can map a new course to our lives. We can also change the attitude we take toward the path we are walking.
